Of Trials and Tribulations
by AllThingsMiyazaki
Summary: What happens when Raven is taken by Slade? How will the Titans react when The Beast is unleashed? BBxRae, some RobStar and CyBee
1. Chapter 1

First fanfic! Please R&R. More chapters to come!

It's been 5 years since the Teen Titans met in Jump City, and things are going as normal. Set after the TV series. Raven is my favorite character, and I was really hoping for Raven and Beast Boy to get together. Why should Robin and Starfire have all the fun? I'm sorry if this is boring, I just wanted to set up the characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. If I did, Raven and Beast Boy would have been together long ago.

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The clock was ticking annoyingly loud. Each second seemed to be a minute long, and each minute was an hour. Raven longed to sleep, but her eyelids refused to droop, and sleep would not wash over her. She tossed and turned in her bed, the blanket eventually sliding off completely and onto the floor. Getting up to retrieve it, Raven groaned and cursed the night under her breath. She was annoyed. Laying the blanket back on her bed, she stared at it before deciding that she would not bother attempting sleep again; it would never come for the time being. Sighing, Raven walked to her door, only to have a book decide that her foot should not move any further, and she stumbled forward. Raven's pent-up anger was released, and the book paid the price. Encased in Raven's pulsing black energy, the cracking sound of its spine echoed throughout her dark room. Suddenly it exploded, pages hurtling through the air to land on everything but Raven. Satisfied for the moment, she nodded curtly and stepped out, sending a bolt of energy back into her room. As the door closed, she could hear her possessions tidying themselves up behind her.

The Titan's Tower, recognizing that Raven was wandering around, emitted a soft glow of light in the hallways, allowing Raven to see around her but not enough to wake her teammates. She passed Starfire's room, where the Tameranian's cute snores could be heard seeping under her door. Raven glowered, angry that everyone could sleep except for her.

Finally making it to the common room, Raven decided to make tea for herself. She prepared a mug of her favorite herbal tea, which she hoped would help her fall asleep. Taking it to the table, she used her powers to flick on the lights…

and was startled out of her wits as Beast Boy's voice yelped "hey!" from the semi-circular couch that was in front of the television. Raven's cup was encased in black energy and quickly shattered, spilling scalding hot tea all over her, which only added to her confusion and anger. Before Raven could realize what was happening, the chairs around her were up in the air and spinning around. She shut her eyes and took three deep breaths, only opening them when she heard all of the chairs touch gently down on the ground. Centered and calmer, she opened her eyes, trying to ignore the still-hot water that was dripping down her front and the sting of the tea that was in her eyes. She looked over at the couch to see Beast Boy peering over the top, checking to see that everything was okay before he emerged.

Walking over to Raven cautiously, Beast Boy gulped nervously, sure that she would send him out of the window for startling her.

"Um…are you okay?" he asked tentatively, wincing as his voice cracked. He hated how squeaky and immature his voice sounded. It only added to his image of a young, childish person trying to be a superhero.

Raven looked over at him blankly. Couldn't he see that she was tired? Couldn't he see the hot water dripping down her? _Sometimes,_ thought Raven, _Beast Boy can be extremely unobservant. Actually, that's pretty much all the time, when he isn't stating the obvious._

Raven sighed. "Yes, I'm all right." She used her powers to bring her a roll of paper towels, which she used to mop up the cooling tea. She could feel Beast Boy's eyes on her, and noticed his discomfort that was coming in waves at her. "Beast Boy, what is it? I can feel that you're uneasy. What's going on?" Raven inquired, trying to lighten up the situation by starting a conversation.

"Um, it's nothing. I mean, I feel bad for startling you. Are you okay? The water must have been hot. I mean, I must have done something, because you lost control…" Beast Boy trailed off, realizing what he had said. Normally, Raven would have thrown him off of the tower at this point, but she was mentally exhausted, and only had energy to tolerate him. She sighed for the umpteenth time that night.

"Beast Boy, I said I'm okay. You don't need to worry. Yes, you startled me, but I should have realized that someone was in the room before turning on the lights." Raven squinted at the clock. It was 2:48 in the morning. "What are you doing up this late? Usually you're the first one in bed and the last one up."

Beast Boy shifted around nervously. He was glad that Raven was not mad at him, but had wanted to avoid that question for as long as possible. Unlike Raven, he had been able to get some sleep that night, but had woken up because he had a dream about…well, about Raven. He didn't remember much, but whatever it had been had so startled him that he had woken up immediately and had found that sleeping again was quite impossible. So, he had wandered into the common room to watch TV, and had just turned it off and was about to try to sleep again when Raven had turned on the lights.

"Nothing!" he replied. Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I had a dream and couldn't get back to sleep," he admitted.

"Was it a nightmare?" Raven wondered. Beast Boy shook his head. No, it had most definitely not been a nightmare. Although he could not remember the details of the Raven-dream, he definitely knew that it had not been a nightmare. In fact, when he had woken up, he had been smiling to himself. Beast Boy shook his head to get rid of the thought. He did not know how far Raven's empathy abilities reached, and he did not want her reading him mind.

Raven stared at him inquisitively, wondering what was happening in his green head. _He must be thinking about something, _she realized. Happy laughed. _Thinking? That's a good one!_ she giggled in Raven's head.

"So, what are you doing up?" Beast Boy asked. Raven looked up at him, purple eyes staring in to green ones.

"Couldn't sleep. I came here to get some tea," she replied.

"Looks like the tea got you!" Beast Boy said immediately, eyeing her damp hair and leotard. Raven again raised an eyebrow at him, unsure if he was purposely making a joke. Beast Boy noticed. "Um, sorry Rae, that was…that wasn't…"

"It's alright," she replied. An awkward silence descended, neither Titan looking at the other. Beast Boy was hoping that she didn't notice that he had called her "Rae." She hated that name. Meanwhile, Raven slowly realized that she was not wearing her cape (she never did while she slept – or was trying to), and the tea that covered her leotard was now cold. She shivered subconsciously, which did not go unnoticed by Beast Boy.

"Hey, you're cold," he said. Raven looked down and nodded.

"I'm going to go change," she responded.

"Okay. Are you coming back?" Beast Boy asked. He wasn't sure why he said that, but wanted Raven's company. She looked at him before nodding again.

"Sure. See you in a minute," she replied deadpan, walking towards the exit. As the doors hissed shut behind her, Beast Boy let out a sigh. He noticed that the shards of her mug were scattered on the floor, and he quickly grabbed the hand-vacuum that Cyborg had recently added to their appliances. Cleaning up the dining area and wiping away any remains of the tea, Beast Boy looked around, satisfied with his work. He flopped down on the couch and waited for Raven to return.

Five minutes later, Raven entered the common room, in a clean leotard and this time with her cape on. She levitated over to Beast Boy, and slowly sat down on the couch, far away from the changeling. He grinned at her and scooted closer. Raven forced herself to not recoil as Timid nervously said, _What's he doing? _in her head. _Relax, Timid, _Raven replied. _He's just a friend. A nervous friend,_ she added, again noticing Beast Boy's discomfort.

"So, Raven," he began, breaking the quiet that had settled over them. "What's up?" he asked lamely, unsure of where to begin.

"Oh, nothing," she replied impassively. "Yesterday we took down Plasmus, the day before that we dealt with the Hive Five, and the day before that – "

"I know, I know. I mean, what's up with you? Like, read any good books recently?" he asked, skittish. _How do you talk to a girl? _he wondered. _This shouldn't be that hard! I've known her for years now!_

"No," she said.

"Oh. Um, wanna hear a joke?" he tried again.

"No." Raven rolled her eyes. They stared outside for a few more moments before Raven stood up suddenly. "I'm going to go to my room. Thanks for cleaning up. See you…later." She nodded curtly at him and left the room. Beast Boy stared after her. _I can't have one good conversation with her. Why is this so hard? We're both 20 now, we've known each other for 5 years. And not one good conversation since then. I either ruin them, or she just gives me one-word answers. _Beast Boy pondered the dark empath for a few more minutes before yawning and deciding that it was time to try sleeping again. He turned off the lights, and the common room was plunged into darkness, ready to be used again when the rest of the Titans woke up later that day.

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Please R&R! I'd love to hear what you think! I'll post a new chapter soon. Ta-ta, Titan lovers!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two! I'm so happy that people have read this story! Please please please review, I would love to hear some feedback!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans...sob

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It was a normal day in Titan's Tower. Starfire was cooking a Tameranian dish called glordknil with included ingredients that resembled artichokes, mango, cheese, raw eggs from some animal or other, apple cider, beetles, and asparagus. However enticing the end product would smell, the other four Titans knew by now to politely decline whatever Starfire made. This was difficult for Robin, since he and Starfire had been dating ever since the group's Tokyo adventure, but he still managed to refuse her cooking. At the moment, he was typing furiously on his laptop, sitting at the table. Cyborg and Beast Boy were battling on their gaming system, and Raven was meditating near the window.

Slowly, Raven came out of her trance, feeling calm and centered. She let her feet tap down on the floor, and turned around to examine her friends. Ever since the incident with her father Trigon attempting to take over the world, she had begun to appreciate everything even more. Each day, she would list in her mind everything she was thankful for. As a result, her cloak had begun to be a bit lighter, although she denied it whenever anyone, usually Beast Boy for some reason, mentioned it.

Raven looked over at Robin first. He had changed mostly on the outside, but was still the driven, focused leader he had always been. However, he had changed his superhero name from Robin to Nightwing, although everyone in the Tower referred to him as Robin. He never told any of them, but he appreciated this, because it made them feel all the more like family. Robin had grown much taller, and his muscles were well defined. His voice had deepened and he had allowed his hair to grow longer, and although he still used hair gel, he did not use as much as he had previously. His new suit was the same as what Starfire had seen when she went into the future with Warp: mostly black with a light blue bird on the chest. He still wore his mask. Robin was now 21, and was the best leader any of the Titans could ask for.

Raven let her eyes drift over to Starfire. The Tameranian had barely changed. She had grown taller, and her face and body had aged appropriately, but her costume, hair, skin, and eyes were still the same. Starfire still had trouble with the English language, but Robin was always more than willing to help her understand things. They were a very cute, if not slightly sappy, couple. When Starfire was not cooking, teaching Cyborg Tameranian, taking care of Silkie, or fighting crime alongside her teammates, she was following Robin anywhere and everywhere. She also had an extremely large fan club, which Raven was slightly jealous of, although she would rather have her soul taken over by her father again rather than admit.

Cyborg, like Starfire, had not changed much. He had upgraded his systems, always staying at the forefront of modern technology, and had even gotten a part-time job as an inventor. At 22, he was the oldest of the Titans, but still enjoyed kicking Beast Boy's butt at video games and obsessing over his "baby." He had recently begun dating Bumblebee, and called her every day. In fact, he was trying to convince Robin to let Bumblebee move into Titan's Tower. Robin had, at first, refused, saying that the Titans East needed her, but Starfire had joined Cyborg's side, claiming that she had long desired to "do the girl talk" with her friend, and Robin found it hard to refuse his girlfriend anything. Cyborg was, needless to say, happier than ever.

Finally, Raven looked over at Beast Boy. Of all the Titans, he had changed the most. He had matured mentally and physically, although for some reason he was still immature around Raven. Beast Boy, also called "Grass Stain" by Cyborg, had become much more muscular, thanks to Robin's demanding training schedules. He had shortened the sleeves of his uniform, and his muscles stood out against his green skin. His fan club had expanded drastically, and was mostly made up of young girls who always screamed for an autograph and a photograph with him. At first, Beast Boy had enjoyed all of the attention, but had slowly grown to realize that he wanted real affection, not just that of young girls, so he began to shy away from the screaming masses who followed him. He and Raven had begun a sort of tango around each other. He still tried to tease her, and she still ignored him, but their interactions were not filled with anger; rather, they were close companions.

After Raven finished regarding each of her teammates, she turned towards the kitchen. Having spent most of the night awake, Raven was quite exhausted. She made herself a cup of Robin's coffee, which she never drank, and sighed in both disgust and relief as the caffeinated drink slid down her throat. She watched Beast Boy and Cyborg compete in their racing pointless game, trying to shove each other off of the ramp and make it to the finish line first…as they had done thousands of times before. Cyborg was the reigning champion, but Beast Boy always put up a good fight, and had slowly been getting better. As Raven watched, Beast Boy edged Cyborg off of the ramp, and was declared winner by the screen.

"Wha… how'd you do that? Did you cheat?" Cyborg demanded, fuming.

"No way dude, I beat you fair and square!" Beast Boy retorted.

"Sure ya did," Cyborg replied incredulously.

"Yeah! I did! Why do you always assume I cheat?" Beast Boy asked, starting to get angry.

"Because you…you…you never win!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!" Cyborg lunged at Beast Boy and eventually had him in a headlock. "Now tell me, what did you do?" Beast Boy choked out a curse, and Cyborg was quick to tighten his hold.

"Friends, please do not fight over a mere game!" came Starfire's voice from the kitchen where Raven had left her. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other before Cyborg grudgingly released the changeling.

"Sorry, Star," they both mumbled at the same time, Beast Boy rubbing his neck.

"Seriously," Raven added. Both boys looked up at her shamefully. "What's the point? You're in your twenties now. And fighting over a videogame? One that you've been playing for five years now? When will you grow up?"

"Geez, Rae, it's just a game," Beast Boy replied.

"First of all, my name's Raven, and second of all, yes, it is just a game," the cloaked girl admonished.

"Y'know, Raven's got a point," Robin said, entering the conversation. "You guys spend most of your time playing these stupid video games."

"Dude! Our videogames are not stupid!" Beast Boy enthusiastically said. Robin only raised an eyebrow. Beast Boy took this as an opportunity to elaborate. "It increases hand-eye coordination, helps us look at our opponent's weakness, teaches us how to improve…" He trailed off as he noticed Raven and Robin staring at him, then at each other. "What?"

"_Did Beast Boy just…say something really, really smart?" _Raven asked Robin, utilizing their strong mental bond.

"_Yeah…and I don't even know how to respond," _Robin said back. Beast Boy just looked at them, shrugged, and turned back to Cyborg.

"Wanna go another round?" he asked his friend. Suddenly, red light began pulsing in the living room, indicating that a villain was attacking something.

"No time, we gotta go," Robin interjected.

"Boyfriend Robin, who is attacking our city this time?" Starfire asked as everyone stood and prepared for battle.

"Cinderblock…again." Robin groaned. "Titans, go!"

In a matter of minutes, the five Titans were in downtown Jump City. Cinderblock was standing outside of the bank, surrounded by police cars. People were running away, but there were some civilians still inside of the bank. Robin made sure to remind everyone to keep their attacks to a minimum until all bystanders were out of harm's way before they could unleash everything they had and take Cinderblock to jail. Again. _This is getting repetitive and boring,_ Raven thought. Brave was quick to respond: _No way! Another day, another fight! Let's go!_ Reason stepped in, reminding Brave that the civilians were their first priority. Brave grudgingly stopped trying to get Raven to do what she wanted.

While Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire worked to distract Cinderblock and draw him away from the bank, Beast Boy and Raven entered the bank to get the civilians to a safer area. Everyone in the small room breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the blue-cloaked empath and the green changeling arrive through the broken glass window. Raven opened a portal that led to a few blocks away and Beast Boy began directing the people into it. Most went gladly, but there was one family who absolutely refused.

"What are you waiting for?" Beast Boy asked gently, not wanting to frighten them any more than they already were. "It's fine, you'll be safe."

The father faced Beast Boy, shaking his head. His wife and three children hid behind him, staring at Raven.

"Safe?" he whispered, apparently angry. "Safe? You think she's safe?" He glared at Raven, who was quite taken aback. Beast Boy stared at the man like he was crazy. "She's a witch. She's evil. How can you trust her?"

Raven willed herself to maintain control over the portal, which was slowly beginning to close as her anger and sadness overcame her. She could feel the hate coming off of the man, mixed with the fear and loathing coming from his family. Keeping the portal open for so long and transporting so many people was beginning to tire her; if she lost control over her emotions…she did not even want to think of what would happen. She looked at Beast Boy, pleading with her eyes to make him get the man to shut up and get them to safety.

"She's not evil," Beast Boy replied to the man, coming to her defense. "She's my friend. Raven has saved the city countless times and – "

"Saved the city? She nearly destroyed it! You can't trust her! She's evil, pure evil!" the man screamed, shaking with anger. Suddenly Beast Boy and Ravens' communicators went off. It was Robin.

"What's taking so long? We need your help!" he cried, ducking as Cinderblock threw a car at him.

"We're stuck!" Beast Boy answered. "We're trying to get these people to go through Raven's portal, but they refuse!"

"Well make them! We can't keep him back for too long; we need to go on full offense!" Robin yelled, and the communicator went blank. Beast Boy turned back to the family.

"Just go!" he commanded. "We're trying to keep you safe, and this is the only way!"

"Absolutely not! I would rather go out in the middle of the battle than trust her!" the man replied. Beast Boy looked over at Raven helplessly, and was shocked to see tears forming in her eyes. _Crap,_ he thought. The portal was closing rapidly, and outside, Cinderblock was advancing towards the bank. Suddenly, before anyone outside could react, Cinderblock threw a minivan straight at the bank. Beast Boy yelled out loud and prepared to transform into the largest animal he could think of, hoping to block the impact of the car from hitting the family who was now screaming behind him. He transformed into a T-rex and waited for the impact…

Which never came. When he tentatively opened his eyes, he saw that the car had been encased in Raven's black energy. She stood in front of him, holding out her hands in front of her, cloak billowing out behind her.

"Azarath…metrion, zinthos!" she yelled, voice shaking, and the car went flying back towards Cinderblock, who took it full in the face and fell over. Raven turned back to Beast Boy, who transformed into a human again. "Get them out of here," she said simply, and flew into the fight. Beast Boy tuned back to the family, glaring.

"Follow me." His voice was eerily similar to Raven's emotionless tone. Transforming back into a large animal, he walked with the family on one side and the fight on the other until they were out of harm's way, then turned back into a human. After glancing towards the fight to check on his friends, he turned back to the father. Beast Boy stepped forward until they were barely a foot apart, and spoke slowly and softly to the man, his voice filled with anger. "If you ever, _ever_ talk about any of my friends like that, especially Raven, I'll personally report you to the head of chief, and God knows what he'll do to you for disrupting a mission in progress. Raven was just trying to help. That's not evil. _She's_ not evil. If anyone is a bad person here, it's you. Now, get out of my sight." The man glared at him defiantly before turning on his heel and walking away with his family. Beast Boy stared after him. The man's oldest daughter turned around and mouthed "Sorry, and thank you." Beast Boy nodded curtly and turned around to join the fight.

By the time he returned, however, the threat had been taken care of, mostly by Raven. Working noiselessly and efficiently, she had managed to knock Cinderblock out in a matter of minutes and had securely bound him in what had once been lampposts. Robin was talking to the police, and as Beast Boy arrived, one of them said, "Thank you Nightwing. We'll take it from here." The men shook hands, and Robin turned back to his team.

"So, who wants pizza?" asked Cyborg enthusiastically.

"Oh, that would be most enjoyable!" Starfire flew circles in the air, clapping joyously. Robin gazed at her, nodding.

"I'm going back to the Tower," Raven's gravely, monotone voice came. Beast Boy peered at her, looking for any signs of emotions, of which he found none.

"I'll go with her," he told the rest. They looked at him, and Robin nodded. Beast Boy expected Raven to tell him to leave her alone, but she merely turned her back and levitated back to the Tower. Beast Boy turned into a hawk and flew beside her. She looked at him briefly and created a platform below him. He morphed back into a human and sat on the platform, trusting that Raven would not let him fall. To his surprise, she touched down next to him. They spent the ride to the Tower in companionable silence, eventually landing on the roof.

Beast Boy walked to the edge, staring out at the sun as it began to set. Raven walked over to stand next to him, her hair and cloak blowing gently in the wind. She had let her hair grow out longer so that it reached halfway down her shoulder blades. Beast Boy looked at her. Raven's face, like Starfire's, had aged appropriately, and her figure had become more womanly. She was fit, thanks to Robin's training schedules, and although she still did not allow herself to feel, her powers were much more under control than they had been. She even allowed herself a small smile here and there, which Beast Boy was infinitely grateful for. Since he had met her those long five years ago, he had been trying to get her to smile, to make her eyes sparkle because of something he did.

"Thank you," Raven said softly, bringing Beast Boy out of his reverie.

"Of course. What are friends for?" he replied equally softly. This was not a time for jokes; this was a time for support and friendship.

"Beast Boy, you're more than a friend. You – all of you – are like family to me. The monks on Azarath were never as close to me as all of you are now, except for Azar. She was practically my mother. I'm so glad I have all of you. Your support, your kindness, everything. I don't know what I would do if not for you guys."

"We're all glad we have you too. Honestly, as much of a leader as Robin claims to be, you're always the one with the level head and the best suggestions. You're really, really smart, Raven." She looked at him, grateful. She could sense his sincerity, and it was very calming and nice to know that some people cared about her and appreciated her. They stared at each other for a few more seconds before Raven turned away.

"That man…" she began, hesitating.

"That man didn't know shit!" Beast Boy interjected. "He's just some asshole who doesn't know the real Raven. You've done more for this city – hell, this world! – than any of us. And that's saying something."

"But I didn't!" Raven replied, still staring at the sun. "I let my father take my soul. I let him use me to take over the world. I could have prevented it, but I was too selfish."

"Raven, wanting to live isn't selfish. And you didn't let him use you. Rae, that was your demon side. You're not a demon. You're a beautiful human who does everything so that others can be happy. You're not selfish, and you're very brave," Beast Boy replied. She looked over at him again, and then threw herself at him. She hugged him tightly and buried her head in his shoulder, finally letting herself cry. Beast Boy wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back. "Shhh, Raven, it's going to be alright. You're gonna be okay."

"Thank you, Beast Boy," she said softly. "Thank you so much." She took a deep breath to calm her emotions, sure that her powers were acting up, but when she opened her eyes, everything was normal. She closed her eyes again and continued to cry into Beast Boy's shoulder, happy to have such a good friend.

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Please review review review! I really appreciate feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for reading my story! You have no idea how happy you have made me! Thanks especially to lunar silver for you review and wonderful suggestion. I hope I did it justice!

So enjoy Chapter 3! Please leave more reviews! Next chapter will have more action and we'll actually get this story rolling, so please come back!

Disclaimer: {must I? this makes me sad} No...I do not own Teen Titans.

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Raven lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. It was still early, and she was not feeling tired at all. Cyborg had returned to the Tower and was working on still more upgrades for his car while talking with Bumblebee, and Robin and Starfire had elected to stay in the city for a while. Raven was sure that Robin was taking Starfire to the new, highly expensive restaurant that had recently opened. _They're such a…cute couple, _she thoughts, and then frowned. _Cute? I never think use that word…um…_ Raven tried out the word several more times in her head. She did not know why, but for some reason, the image of Robin and Starfire in an embrace was slowly replaced by an image of Beast Boy, and Raven found herself blushing. It was an hour after they had talked on the roof, and yet she could still feel his warmth enveloping her. His kind words resonated in her mind, especially when he had called her "beautiful." _That's so unlike Beast Boy,_ Raven thought. _He's so kind and definitely more mature now. I'd never have thought he would be, but…he's really grown up._ Raven lay in bed for a few more minutes before shaking her head and rising to a sitting position. _Okay, what's going on with me? _She decided that it was time to visit her emotions.

Raven summoned her mirror from her inter-dimensional "locker" where she had hidden it so avoid another incident like the time when Cyborg and Beast Boy had entered her mind. Staring into it, she felt a tug as the portal opened, and she was swept into her mind.

Her mind looked the same as always. The dark sky hung gloomily above her head, and the stones created a path immediately for her to walk on.

Raven first came upon Happy, who was playing in her very bright domain, which reminded Raven of Starfire. She sucked in a breath and told herself to keep a reign on her own cheerfulness. Each time Raven encountered one of her emotions while she was in her mind, she would be influenced by their aura, and would act similarly to them. But Raven needed to be in control, so she willed herself to stay emotionless while surrounded by the embodiments of her emotions. Needless to say, it was hard, but Raven found that it was getting easier as time progressed.

"Hey, Rae, what's up?" squealed the pink-clad emotion.

"Nothing, Happy. I need to see Knowledge," Raven replied, deadpan.

"Oh, okay! But let me tell you one joke." Raven rolled her eyes. "Pleeeaase?" Happy begged.

"Fine."

"Yay!" Happy began clapping and dancing around.

"Just tell the joke already!" Raven was quickly losing patience.

"Okay. What's a frog's favorite drink?" Happy looked at Raven expectantly, then answered her joke. "Croaka Cola!" She erupted into laughter, holding her stomach. "Oh, that was a good one!" Despite her attempts, Raven found herself beginning to crack a smile, even though the joke was one of Happy's worst yet. That was what happened when Happy was extremely, well, happy.

"Good one," Raven drawled.

"Hey, tell it to Beast Boy, 'kay?" Happy smiled. Raven raised an eyebrow at her, waved, and left Happy's domain, entering Timid's area, who she spotted after a few minutes of walking.

Raven nodded to Timid, who nodded back at her shyly, her grey cloak blending in with the rock. They traveled through the maze together silently, both too wrapped up in their own remorse to say anything. Raven had to remind herself constantly that she was not really sad; she was only upset because she was influenced by Timid's presence. Before they reached the end of the maze, Timid spoke up, which startled Raven, because Timid almost never spoke first.

"Raven?" she began quietly. Raven looked at her. "Um…I just…well…" Raven sighed, reminding herself to be patient with Timid.

"Yes, Timid? What is it?" she gently asked.

"Oh…I was just wondering, ah, could, um, could I…could we…" Raven looked at her expectantly.

"CanBeastBoycomebackhereplease?" Timid hurriedly asked, then hid behind one of the walls of the maze for a second, unsure of how Raven would react. Raven just stared at the tip of Timid's hood in disbelief. Beast Boy? Why would Timid want to see Beast Boy? And why did Timid even ask? Raven just stared at Timid before shaking her head, eyes wide, and exiting the grey-cloaked girl's domain.

The double-faced statue still lay split in half in Brave's domain. Raven saw Brave in a clearing, brutally murdering stone statues which she had cast spells on so that they could move and be opponents. Raven decided to not even bother talking to Brave. She hurried through the emotion's domain before taking a sharp turn onto a path that was not noticeable unless you knew what to look for. This new domain was full of books, and as the scent of old paper reached Raven, she sighed happily. She was in Knowledge's domain. The yellow emotion appeared from behind a stack of books, acknowledging Raven as she set down the one she was reading.

"Hello," she said, taking off her glasses.

"Hi," Raven replied.

"You need help…" Knowledge searched Raven's face, "with figuring out your thoughts on Beast Boy." Raven looked at her, shocked, and felt the heat rising to her face again.

"Um, well, not really." Knowledge looked at her condescendingly.

"Raven, don't lie to me. I'm part of you, and since you use me frequently, I am more connected to you than the other emotions. So, yes, you need help figuring out what's going on with Beast Boy, although I can't imagine why you haven't discovered the truth for yourself." Knowledge regarded Raven for a bit, before continuing. "In fact, I might just let you figure it out for yourself. But before I send you away, you need to know something."

"What? Is everything all right? Has Rage gotten lose again?" Raven inquired, always fearing the worst. Knowledge shook her head.

"We have welcomed a new emotion. One that was lost when Azarath was lost." Raven started at the name of her home, which her father had destroyed when she was a little girl.

"Lost?" she asked quietly. "I…lost an emotion?" Knowledge nodded, affirming the fact.

"Yes. But it's back now." She sighed. "Raven, when you mix blue and pink, what do you get?"

"Purple," Raven replied immediately, then frowned. "But purple is the color of…"

"Affection," Knowledge said simply. "Love." Raven stared at Knowledge for a minute, then raced out of her domain. She ran past Rude and Sloth, shuddering slightly as she passed the fiery entrance to Rage's domain. She finally reached the Forbidden Door, the portal back to the real world, and practically leapt through, worried that her purple emotion was chasing her the whole time.

Raven fell on the floor of her room, gasping for air. New emotions weren't supposed to be popping up everywhere! Although, it was not a new emotion, and Raven knew it. Raven had always suppressed her affections, ever since Azarath was destroyed, because whoever she felt affection for eventually suffered the wrath of her father. She did not know what would happen now that her father was no longer a threat, but Raven was so stuck in her old ways that she did not let herself experiment with affection, much less love. Love. She shuddered at the word.

Aware that it was now past 10:00, Raven realized that she would not be falling asleep for a while. Trading in her cloak for a pair of sweatpants, she decided to venture up to the roof for a bit to gaze at the stars that would begin appearing in an attempt to calm her enough to fall asleep. When she reached the roof, however, she found it still to be occupied by the green changeling, who was sitting with his back to Jump City. She sighed inwardly, realizing that it would be awkward if she stayed, but even more awkward for her if she left. Beast Boy did not seem to notice her, so she levitated silently to the far side of the roof and began meditating, quietly whispering her mantra.

Beast Boy slowly came out of his daydream as he heard a small noise behind him. Deciding that it was nothing, he let out a shallow breath and continued to stare across the water. He was looking at the entrance to the cave where Terra's statue had once stood. Every day he would think about Terra and wonder if he had made the right choice. He had really liked her when he knew that she was on his side. She was pretty, she had laughed at his jokes, she was carefree, she enjoyed doing everything that he had done, and she was always upbeat and happy. Terra had practically been his twin. They had been so alike. _Not anymore,_ he thought dejectedly. _Even if that girl, who I'm sure is Terra, or at least her body, began acting like Terra and got all of her memories back, I don't know if I would still…like her. She betrayed us. And I don't think she's serious enough. I liked her four years ago. I've changed since then. And I doubt she has, or would have._ Beast Boy let out a deep sigh and stood to leave. _That's enough depressing thoughts for today. _As he turned and began walking to the door, he noticed a person out of the corner of his eye. He immediately assumed a fighting stance, but noticed that it was just Raven. The green changeling felt his face flush, with would have looked strange if it was light out, but in the darkness of the night, no one could see. Instead of leaving, Beast Boy just stood looking at Raven's straight back as she continued meditating. He noticed that she was not wearing her cape, and instead was wearing…sweatpants? Raven never wore sweatpants. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to her.

"Hey, Rae," he said softly, hoping not to startle her. Raven opened her eyes slowly, blinked, and turned her head to face him, still floating in the lotus position. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, much better. Thanks," she replied, touching down. She walked to the edge of the roof, crossing her arms. "What the man said was hurtful. I was really, _really _upset."

"I would have been too." Beast Boy took a step forward to stand next to her, their shoulders almost touching. He hesitated. "You're not the only one, though. We've all been there. I mean, I'm green and can change into any animal," he added, smiling. "Cyborg is half metal. Starfire's an alien. And Nightwing…well, Robin's different. But the point is, we've all been judged." Raven turned around to face him, staring into his kind eyes. She reached out a hand to touch his forehead, and the gemstone on her ajna chakra began emitting a pulsing red glow. Before Beast Boy could not tell what she was doing; she had closed her eyes and was concentrating. Suddenly, Beast Boy was taken back to the day they had all met. He was looking at the world from Raven's eyes, and Cyborg was talking to her.

_Raven looked down sadly. "I don't exactly fit in," she said. Cyborg smiled kindly at her and responded: "He's green, half of me is metal, and she's from space. You fit in just fine." _{A/N: Episode "Go!"}

Next, Beast Boy felt himself pulled forward in time, halting to just after the Malchior incident. To his surprise, he was talking to Raven.

"_You think you're alone, Raven, but you're not." And then, "I'm sorry…that he broke your heart." _{A/N: Episode "Spellbound}

Beast Boy opened his eyes, staring into Raven's deep purple ones. She removed her hand from his forehead and turned away.

"Wow," he breathed. "That was…quite amazing, actually. Thanks." She smiled at him slightly.

"No, thank you. You guys, especially you and Cyborg, have always looked out for me. You're like big brothers to me. Well," she smirked, "more like Cyborg's the big brother, and you're the annoying little one."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, I just had to." She craned her neck backwards, searching the sky, and pointed up. "First star," she noted, her voice smiling. Beast Boy followed the direction that she was pointing and grunted his notice. He was startled when Raven suddenly disappeared out of his vision, but when he looked around frantically, he saw that she was laying down. He stared down at her quizzically.

"You okay there?" he asked. She looked up at him.

"Huh?"

"You're…I dunno. First you're wearing sweatpants, then you make a joke about me, and now you're lying down on the roof staring at the stars. Is Raven still in there?"

Raven laughed lightly, struggling to maintain her monotone voice and control her emotions.

"I'm fine." She sighed. "When I was little, my mother and I would lay on the roof of our home in Azarath and stargaze." She paused as Beast Boy lay down next to her. "The stars from Azarath looked so different. Probably because it was a different dimension. They were beautiful, all different colors. Starfire would have loved it. Purple, pink, green, blue, red, orange, brown, white, yellow, and on and on. It was gorgeous. Arella and I would just lay there and try to name every color. It was the only thing we ever did together. The rest of the time I was training with the monks or healing myself from the beatings…" she trailed off, realizing what she had just said. Beast Boy propped himself up on an elbow, turning to look at her.

"Beatings?" he asked. Raven gulped nervously.

"Yeah," she said after a minute. "The monks thought it was the only way to discipline me. If I said one word in a spell wrong, opened my eyes during meditation, or showed any emotion, then…" She stared at the stars, trying to calm her emotions and avoid Beast Boy's searching gaze. She was relieved when he gently lowered himself back down and looked up.

"I know what you mean," he said softly. "I don't know how much you guys know about me, but after my parents…died…I came back here from Africa. Before I joined the Doom Patrol, I was taken in by thugs. I did their dirty work, just trying to save my own skin. I got the same treatment from them that you got from the monks. I was so lucky that the Doom Patrol got to me when they did. I'm not sure how much longer I would have survived." Beast Boy and Raven turned their heads towards each other at the same time, very close, staring into each other's eyes.

"I'm so sorry," they whispered in unison. Raven turned away and closed her eyes; Beast Boy continued to look at her. After a few minutes, he realized that she had fallen asleep. He debated staying on the roof with her before deciding that she would be more comfortable in her own bed. He lifted her up in his arms, noticing how petite and fit she was, and carried her inside the Tower to her own room, glad that no one was around to see. Beast Boy entered her room, his eyes adjusting immediately to see in the dark as an owl would, and he lay her on her bed. He gazed at her for a second before stooping and gently kissing her on her gemstone. Then, worried that she would wake up and fling him out of the tower, he turned and fled out of her room, stumbling on a book on the way out.

Both Titans slept very well that night.

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What'd you guys think? Please review! So long for now, Titan fans!


	4. Chapter 4

PLEASE READ: I am soooooo sorry! I didn't mean to take this long! But, I just finished high school! I was recovering, so please excuse me. This chapter isn't anything like what I expected it to be, but I'm using it as a placeholder for the next chapter. I promise, it'll be much better than this one! Please remember that I'm only 16. And, starting with the next chapter, the story will be much darker, and I'm going to start including much darker themes, but not in detail (ewwww). If you feel that I need to change the rating, please let me know! I have no idea how the system works.

Thanks to lunar silver for yet another great idea!

Disclaimer: I don't (sob) own (sob) the...the...the Teen Titans! (cries for an hour)

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Raven woke up at six the next morning, feeling very well rested. She floated to the common room, drank her tea, meditated for an hour, and began reading a book, still levitating. Robin walked in at a quarter after seven, looking very tired. He grunted his acknowledgement of her and slumped down at the table. Raven used her powers to make him a cup of coffee. She guessed that he and Starfire had not returned to the tower until the early hours of the morning, and as a result, there would be no intense training that day. _Cyborg and Beast Boy will be very happy,_ she thought, smirking.

Cyborg walked in next. He stretched and yawned as he entered, raising an eyebrow at Robin who was nursing his coffee.

"Man, you alright?" he asked.

"Huh?" Robin looked up wearily. "Oh, yeah. Fine. Tired. No _[yawn] _training today, m'kay?" their leader intoned, dropping his head into his arms. Cyborg and Raven shared a look, and Cyborg pumped his arms, mouthing "booyah!" He went into the kitchen, and soon the smell of breakfast was drifting around the common room.

Starfire was the next to enter. She immediately joined Robin at the table, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled at her tiredly, and they moved to the couch, where they both fell asleep immediately, leaning on each other. Raven tried to not gag at the mushiness of the situation.

Beast Boy was the last to wake up, and finally entered the common room at ten.

"Hey Rae!" He greeted her, and got a smile in return that made his heart jump. Raven felt a sudden wave of emotions from him, but she could not tell what they were. Suddenly everything turned purple in her eyes and she fell to the floor surprised, and when her mind cleared, Beast Boy was standing over her, worried, and a song was playing. It was a love song, she could tell that much, but what shocked her most was that the music player was encased in her black magic that had…a purple tint to it? Raven quickly summoned her power back to her before anyone could notice, and the song shut off immediately. _Affection!_ she shouted in her mind, trying to summon the emotion to have a talk with her. The only reply she got was giggling, and the purple tinge to everything disappeared. Raven stood up, very, _very_ annoyed.

"You all right?" Beast Boy asked, worried. Robin and Starfire had woken up, and everyone was staring at her. Raven stood up and huffed, brushing off her cloak.

"Fine," she replied, monotone.

"Um, you never…fall over," the green changeling pressed.

"I'm fine. Just trying to, uh, sort some things out," Raven said, trying to ignore the waves of confusion and worry coming at her from her four teammates. She sighed and looked at them. "Guys, really, it's not a problem. If it was, I'd tell you. But it's not. So, just –"

"Leave you alone, we know," Beast Boy finished for her, shaking his head. "Okay, sure." He gave her another long look before turning around to face the others. "Hey Cy, when's breakfast ready? I'm starving!" he shouted.

"I'm not touching that nasty tofu stuff!" the half-metal man shouted from the kitchen.

"Guess I'm going to have to throw out that awful meat then," Beast Boy replied, walking to the kitchen.

"Get out, man! You ain't messin' with my breakfast! Hey, keep your hands to yourself! Let go!" Cyborg's protests could be heard. Robin looked over at Starfire.

"Let's go eat," he said, and all three Titans walked over to the table. Raven got out plates and utensils, and once everything was set up, Cyborg appeared, holding the bacon and waffles out of Beast Boy's reach, wary of his friend. He quickly doled out the food onto the plates, and Raven put most of her portion on Cyborg's plate. He grinned at her in thanks. Beast Boy soon sat down, holding his tofu preciously, but grinning triumphantly at Cyborg. Raven rolled her eyes.

"You're both in your twenties now, and yet you still fight over breakfast each day?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup!" they both replied happily. "It's good bonding," Cyborg added before digging into his meal, and everyone followed suit.

"Friend, this breakfast is truly enjoyable," Starfire said after a few minutes. She had poured mustard over her waffles and bacon and was licking the extra mustard off her plate. Cyborg's mouth was too full for him to reply, so he just grunted.

Raven felt someone's eyes on her. She found Robin staring at her cloak, and immediately sensed his confusion.

"What?" she demanded. He jumped and looked at her guiltily.

"Your cloak…it's…definitely gotten lighter," he replied. Raven felt everyone looking at her for the second time that day.

"So what? Maybe it happened in the wash." She stood up. "I'm going to go to my room." With that, she placed her dishes in the sink and left for her room.

Raven felt herself relax as soon as the darkness of her room enveloped her. She hated it when she was the center of attention. Although she would rather die than admit it, Raven hated more than just the fact that she was half-demon. She had never considered herself pretty. Starfire was always known as the gorgeous one. The Tameran had gotten several modeling offers, and as a result, her face was often to be found plastered on billboards displaying anything from ball gowns to athletic wear. Robin, needless to say, was even more overprotective of her than ever, knowing that horny young boys would now be able to see pictures of his girlfriend everywhere. Raven herself had only received modeling offers from places that sold goth clothing, and she had immediately declined.

Turning on the lights, something she had not done in months, Raven unclipped her cloak to examine it. Of course the color had not changed as a result of the wash; that had been a lie to avert the attention. Raven knew that the cloak's color was a result of her emotional state, and changed accordingly. Her cloak had only been white three times before: when Malchior was with her, when she was battling Rage in her mind with Beast Boy and Cyborg, and when she had defeated her father. In those cases, the cloak's color change had been immediate. She was either white-Raven or dark-blue-Raven. Now, she was light-blue-Raven, and she was slightly freaking out. Raven assumed that it had to do with the new emotion, Affection, who she still had yet to yell at. Refastening her cloak, she turned off her light, and was reaching for her mirror to rat out the emotion and possibly strangle her when someone knocked on Raven's door. She sighed and sent the mirror back to its inter-dimensional locker, and opened the door to see Starfire.

"Hello, friend!" Starfire began. Raven stepped out of her room, and they began walking to the other girl's room in silent agreement.

"Hi," Raven replied, not quite willing to talk. She knew that sooner or later, Starfire would get everything out of her, but she wanted to keep everything to herself for as long as possible, even if it was only for a few more minutes.

"Friend, I noticed your discomfort in the earlier events of this glorious morning. Please, tell me, is everything the 'okay?'" They entered Starfire's very pink and purple room and sat on her bed.

"Yes, Star, everything's okay. I'm just a bit confused about some things," Raven answered.

"To be confused is not good! I am confused frequently, and it is not a good thing to be confused. In fact, it is very – how do you say it – frustrating?" She looked at Raven, and the empath nodded. Starfire's English had gotten much better. "So, please tell me, what is it that you are confused about? Perhaps I may be of assistance?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure anyone can help." Starfire looked at her expectantly, and Raven sighed. "Okay, here goes. I'm changing. A lot."

"Oh! Are you going through the puberty?" Starfire asked innocently. "When I underwent the Tameranian version of puberty, I changed, and became quite…ugly…but in the end, I returned to normal, even better!" Starfire said energetically.

"Yeah, I remember." Raven sighed. "See, there's this weird thing about. It's actually really, really strange." She looked over at Starfire, deciding that she could trust her friend with this information. The now-slightly-lighter-than-dark empath sighed again and launched into her explanation. "I'm the spawn of a demon. The devil, you could say. The place where I'm from, Azarath, has worked for peace since its leader Azar founded it. When my mother and I arrived, they knew immediately that I was Trigon's daughter. Even if he had raped my mother and I was the result, I was still partially demon, and had to be dealt with. Well, actually, nothing could be done with me, besides training, but the monks decided to take…precautions for the future. They cast a powerful spell, an irreversible spell. I will never experience the more…developmental aspects of human puberty. As a result, I'll never have children. So, no, it's not puberty." Raven realized that she had given a much longer explanation than she had needed to, but it felt good to get the weight off of her chest. She looked up at Starfire to find tears forming in her friend's eyes. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My poor friend Raven!" the Tameranian cried, flinging herself at Raven. "To never be able to experience this transformation must be quite awful!"

"Actually, I've never given much thought to it." Now that Raven did think of it through that lens, it was quite sad. Starfire's pillows exploded, and the alien pulled herself back hastily. Raven looked around at the feathers shamefully. "Uh, sorry about your pillows."

"Do not worry, it is alright," Starfire assured her friend. Picking her feathers out of her hair, she asked, "but if puberty is not the issue, then what is?"

Raven did not know how to answer. She went into a half-trance without realizing it, and as soon as her eyes turned white, Starfire knew to not bother her. When Raven did that, she was really thinking about something, and could not be interrupted. Starfire stood and began cleaning up the feathers, keeping an eye on her friend.

Raven could see Starfire cleaning up, but her body was frozen, and she was too deep in thought to break out of her trance. She thought back to when she had visited Knowledge. _"You need help with figuring out your thoughts on Beast Boy," _yellow emotion had said. Timid and Happy had also mentioned Beast Boy. And then, the sudden appearance of the purple emotion. Love. Affection. Love. Beast Boy. Affection. Love. Beast Boy. Love. Love. Raven heard a giggle and saw purple flash before her eyes for the second time that day, and was startled out of her trance. Raven's breath came out in a big woosh, and Starfire jumped. Raven stared at her wide-eyed, breathing heavily.

"I take it you have figured out what is wrong?" Starfire asked tentatively. Raven nodded dumbly.

"I think…I…I might…I think I might like Beast Boy," she said in disbelief. Starfire gaped at her, both staring at each other in shock. Then Starfire suddenly shot up and hit her head on the ceiling. Raven winced. Starfire's flight was based on how happy she was, and if she shot up that fast without meaning to, she must have been really happy.

As Starfire gently lowered herself back to the ground, rubbing her head, Raven felt her cloak slowly heat up around her. White light began emanating from it, and both she and Starfire had to close their eyes. When the heat and light died down, both girls looked at Raven's cloak. It was almost white. Almost. Raven was very glad to see the blue tint to it. She was still partially…her. _Wait…what?_ _It can't be…what the hell just happened? This has never, ever happened before. Crap crap crap crap CRAP! What is going on? I should not be changing this much! I'm supposed to be steady. What is going on? _Raven began hyperventilating. Starfire ran out of the room, probably to get the others. Raven almost never freaked out like this, and Starfire was very worried for her friend's wellbeing. Slowly, Starfire's possessions were encased in white light, and began spinning around Raven, who fell to a kneeling position on the floor. She had no idea what was happening. She knew that she was undergoing a transformation, and that somehow it had to do her…affection. Her affection for Beast Boy. Then, suddenly, there he was. Raven's teammates were jostling with each other, all trying to squeeze through the doorframe at the same time. Raven shut her eyes tightly, trying to gain control. She forced herself into her lotus position, and began chanting her mantra. Slowly, ever so slowly, the whirlwind around her calmed down, and she banished her thoughts to a far recess of her mind, to be dealt with later. _What happens, happens, _she had to remind herself. _This is probably good. This means that I'm probably almost in complete control. I'll be able to feel freely. I'll be able to completely control my powers. This isn't a good way to start. So, calm down. Breathe. In, out, in, out. And…_ "Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos. Azarath, metrion, zinthos." Starfire's things clattered to the ground, and Raven opened her eyes. Her friends were staring at her. Robin was the first to talk.

"Well, that was…wow. Raven, are you okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. I'm actually much better now. I actually feel…great." Raven allowed herself a small smile. "Sorry about your room, Star." Unsure why, she snapped her fingers, and Starfire's possessions began rearranging themselves, returning to how they had been before Raven's meltdown. The empath looked around her, pleased.

"Dude…can you do that to my room?" Beast Boy asked. Raven grinned at him.

"Nah, I think it'll be a good lesson for you to clean up your own place," she replied. Beast Boy groaned. "Hey, BB, what's a frog's favorite drink?" she asked impulsively, remembering Happy's request.

"Uh…I dunno…" Beast Boy replied, staring at her.

"Croaka Cola!" she replied, winking at him. Suddenly, everyone jumped as a loud crash was heard. Cyborg had toppled over.

"Oh, friend, is everything okay?" Starfire asked flying over to her friend quickly, worried. She was quite confused from the events of the day so far. Cyborg's arm monitor showed that his system was rebooting. After a few tense seconds, he sat up, staring at Raven.

"What the hell?" he shouted. Raven was taken aback. "Man, do you have any idea how much you just screwed up my systems? I had you all figured out as a quiet, mysterious person who doesn't do jokes and…ya know, all the other stuff…but you've totally changed in like, what, a few minutes? I can't handle it! Not cool, man, not cool!" He glared down at Raven before laughing out loud and bringing her into a crushing hug. "This is awesome! Hey, and nice joke, by the way!" Raven grinned up at him.

"Thanks. Now, Cy, would you mind putting me down?"

"Oh, sure, sorry." He set her down. Raven looked around at her four friends. Her family.

"Look, I know I've changed a lot. I'm not sure at all what is going on. I'm going to try to figure it out. But I think it's for the better. I think I'll be able to control my powers much better, and I might even be able to experience emotions. Just give me a bit of time, okay?" She looked around. All of her friends were nodding solemnly. Starfire was looking very confused, and Robin had his arm around her waist. Cyborg was looking down at her, and Beast Boy was staring at her in awe. Those same indescribable emotions were emanating from him. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he shook himself out of his reverie. "So…who wants to celebrate?" Starfire began jumping up and down, clapping.

"Oh, glorious! Friend Raven, what a wonderful idea! We will have a 'happy transformation' party! Come, let us prepare." So saying, Starfire grabbed Robin and Cyborg and dragged them out of her room. Raven and Beast Boy followed, and the empath could see him glancing at her every now and then. She ignored it, putting it down to his curiosity about her new cloak. She knew that he would never…like her the way she liked him. Even though recently they had begun bonding, she had treated him too badly for so long for anything to happen now. They were too different. Raven sighed inwardly, and they walked together to the common room, where Starfire was making a list of everything they would need for the party.

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Please review! I appreciate everything!


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